Disappearing bed.



J. ROUNTREE.

DISAPPEARING BED.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1, 1908.-

931,962, 7 v Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

2 SHEETS-S 1.

WITNESSES: INYENTOR, A /7 /w %m M ATTORNEY.

J. ROUNTREE. DISAPPEARING BED. APPLICATION FILED MAY 1, 1908.

931,962. Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

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JAMES ROUNTREE, OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.

DISAPPEARING BED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

Application filed May 1, 1908. Serial No. 430,268.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs RoUNTnEn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Berkeley, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Disappearing Beds, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention is to provide a disappearing bed for use in apartment houses or dwellings in which it is desired to economize space.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a vertical section of the ceiling of the room equipped with my invention, showing the bed lowered; Fig. 2 is a side View of the bed; the side support being lowered; Fig. 3 is an end view Fig. 4 is a detail broken side elevation, showing the weight and the ropes attached thereto; Fig. 5 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view immediately below the ceiling boards, showing the pulleys and hangers therefor; Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a corner of the bed, showing the means for suspending the same; Fig. 7 is an enlarged broken plan view of said corner; Fig. 8 is a cross section at right angles to Fig. 6; Fig. 9 is an enlarged section through a pulley; Fig. 10 is a cross section therethrough; Fig. 11 is a broken detail secgiocill through the middle of one side of the Referring to the drawing, 1, 2, indicates floor joists for supporting a floor 3 of the room above, or a ceiling, in case there is no room above that in which the bed is to be used. The beams 2 are made narrower than the beams l in order to permit of a re cess 4 being formed to receive the bed when not in use. On each side of said recess are secured the false beams 5, thereby deepening the recess, and allowing the bed to be received entirely within said recess, so that the underside thereof is substantially flush with the bottom of said beams. Said bed is shown at 6 and is suspended by means of steel cords 7, four in number, secured to the bed at points adjacent to the four corners thereof. For so securing said cords, the following construction is used. To the sides of the bed are secured, by screws 8, U-shaped angle bars 9, between which are secured the bars 12 which support the bed spring, said spring being shown at 13. Over said spring, is a plate 14, secured to said bars by screws 10, and thereby firmly clamping the end of the springs therebetween. The lower member of each U-shaped angle bar is extended, as shown at 15, to the end of the bed, either to the head or foot, as the case may be, and is there bent at right an les, as shown at 16, to lie snugly against said end 17. In this portion of said lower member, in the corner between the side and end of the bed, are formed a number of apertures 18, and through one of said apertures is passed an eye-bolt 19, to which is secured the bottom of the steel cord 7. Upon the lower end of said eye-bolt is screwed a nut which is screwed up against the underside of the extended member 15, so that said extended member rests upon said nut, thereby supporting the corresponding corners of the bed upon the eye-bolt and steel cord. All of said cords pass over pulleys 22 mounted in hangers 23 supported upon the joists, each hanger having formed integral therewith a guide or channel 24 for the cable. guides are connected by unions 25 with pipes 26, which pass through the joists, the latter being suitably recessed for that purpose, and extend to pulley hangers 27 secured to the joists all adjacent to each other, said pipes, thus converging to said hangers. In said pulley hangers 27 are pulleys 28, over which the cords 7 pass.

The distances of the pulleys 22 immedi ately over the bed from those 27 adjacent to each other are adjusted by means of the unions, and in addition the two most distant of the former pulleys can be adjusted as to their addition by means of additional unions 25. The steel cords pass over the four aforesaid pulleys 28 and are all connected at their lower ends to a weight 29 which can move vertically in a pocket 30 similar to those used for sash weights. This weight is such as to balance the weight of the bed.

In order to use the bed, it is first lowered to the position shown in Fig. 1, and then the side boards 33 are let down, these being hinged to the sides of the bed, as shown at 34. When they are so placed down, two arms 37 on opposite sides of the'bed, (one only being here shown) secured to a rock shaft 38 extending through. the bed, are moved into loops 40 secured upon side boards 33, and thereby hold said boards firmly in position relatively to the bed. By providing said rock shaft, it is only necessary to move one of the arms 37 into position on one side of the bed, and the other is thereby Said moved into position on the other side of the bed, without the necessity of going around to said other side. When the side boards have thus been arranged as shown in Fig. 3,

end boards 41, hinged to the side boards, as"

' the bed, and retain the same in position.

I claim 1. In combination with a ceiling of a room, pulleys secured thereto, cords over said puleys, and. a bed suspended by said cords, said bed being provided with hinged side boards, arranged to be lowered to support the bed independently of the cords, latches for re taining the side boards in their sup orting position, and means for moving both Iatches simultaneously, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a ceiling of a room pulleys secured thereto, cords over said pulthrough which said cords pass, substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a ceiling, of pulley hangers secured thereto, pulleys supported by said hangers, pipes secured to said hangers and converging toward each other, pulley hangers at the point-of convergence, pulleys supported thereby, a bed, cords attached to the bed and passing over both sets of ulleys and a Weight attached to said corc s,'substanti ally as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JAMES ROUNTREE l/Vitnesses:

FRANCIS M. WRIGHT, D. B. RICHARDS. 

